The United States Department of Defense deleted the contents of the phones of its high-ranking officials in the last days of the Donald Trump administration (2017-2000), including any possible reference to the attack on Capitol of January 6, 2021.2022
As reported this Tuesday (2) by broadcasters CNN and CNBC, the Pentagon has eliminated all content from the devices of Army commanders and civilians with responsibility for the Armed Forces, such as then Secretary of Defense Chris Miller and then Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy.
On of July, the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS) opened a criminal investigation into the deletion of messages that Secret Service agents sent on January 6, 2021, the day of the attack on the Capitol.
The Deputy Inspector DHS General Gladys Ayala asked on that occasion in a letter to the Director of the Secret Service, James Murray, that he close his own investigation into the incident because there was already an open one in his briefcase.
The Secret Service, the body in charge of protecting the country’s president, among others, has determined that it cannot recover the deleted text messages that were sent on January 5th and 6th of a year ago.
The House of Representatives committee investigating the Capitol Hill attack had requested these messages, but was only able to receive one.2022
The others were removed as part of a previously planned system migration, although the committee believes the procedure to preserve the content may not have adhered to current requirements and may have violated Federal Law of Records. 2022
